A few days ago, we reached the one-year anniversary of the day the kids and I arrived in New Zealand and our family officially started our adventure abroad.
I wanted to mark the moment by recreating the first family photo we took in New Zealand.
I remember that day a year ago so clearly. We had gotten off the plane early in the morning and spent an hour or so pushing our luggage through the customs lines. We were tired, anxious to see Shane, our dog, Moses, and our new home. When we finally cleared customs and spotted Shane in the waiting area, we ran to greet him with giant hugs and a few tears of relief. We had made it to New Zealand.
The rest of the day was filled with amazed excitement, a lot of "Look at that!" and "Over there!" and "I can't believe we're here!" We explored our new rental house, kids running through every empty, echoing room. We gave Moses lots of pets, grateful he made it to the other side of the world in the same shape he left the U.S. I took a shower and put on my new raincoat and we went off to see the city, our city. I gripped the arm rest and covered my eyes as Shane drove us down the left side of the road. The kids giggled in their booster seats in the backseat.
We drove through the central business district, pointing out the window at the Sky Tower, Rangitoto. We marveled at the people walking the streets, a mix of every country and culture, it seemed. And we parked the car at the base of Albert Park, a small park in the heart of the city with the most amazing trees, trees unlike any I'd seen before. Kauri and Cork Oak. Totara and Indian Bead. And this otherworldly variety, a tall, unwieldy beast of a tree with hollow roots and branches just begging to be climbed: the Ombu tree.
Of all the moments that led up to our move to New Zealand, that one in that park crystallized it for me: We were definitely not in Kansas anymore. And oh, what a world we had discovered.
We walked through the park, across a pedestrian bridge that offered perfect views of the iconic Sky Tower. And we snapped this selfie, the one that captures for me so much of that moment. The closeness we felt after being separated for more than a month. The relief Shane and I felt at having achieved something pretty amazing in getting our family safely to the other side of the world. The joy in the kids' smiles. This photo had quite a story to tell.
And the one we took this weekend attempting to recreate that moment did too -- but in an entirely different way.
That story starts with grumpy kids none too thrilled about my wish to head downtown just to take a photo. Promises of cinnamon rolls from their favorite Canadian deli help smooth the deal, and I herd everyone in the car after telling Shane he can not wear the same red sweatshirt for the 365th day in a row ;)
The city's busy, buzzing with people, but instead of marveling at the Sky Tower and appreciating the mix of cultures all around us, we scan the sides of the roadways for a parking space, eventually settling on 20 minutes in the closest garage for $3. (And if you know Shane, you know paying to park in a garage is his Kryptonite.)
We have 20 minutes to get through the park and on to the bridge to snap our photo. No time to enjoy the trees, appreciate their beauty and climb their branches. We have to get this selfie done!
When we make it to the bridge, one kid is not interested in smiling for the camera (guess who!) and one does not want to be lifted up so her head can be seen. We take a few failed shots and then everyone gets a good lecture from Dad as a Chinese family walks by, embarrassed. We try again.
The photo we finally snap shows the same background and the same smiling faces as last year's, but the scenario couldn't be more different.
And I can't help but smile thinking about it.
It's true, the newness of New Zealand has worn off a bit, especially on the kiddos who see Auckland as home and use Kiwi words without even thinking about it. It's worn off a bit on Shane and me too, as we settle into a routine and raise our family in pretty much the same way we did in Virginia. The background has changed but we're still the same.
And yet, at the same time, we're all completely different.
This year has been the most meaningful year of our family's life. I know that without doubt.
As parents, we've slowed down and thought deeply about what matters to us and what experiences we want to give our kids while we still anchor their orbit. As a family, we've walked lots, seen amazing things, embraced the beauty of the natural world by paddling in her seas, cresting her volcanic craters, climbing her mountains and getting splashed by her waterfalls.
As friends, we've built relationships with people from incredibly diverse backgrounds and situations. We've shared love and encouragement with those back home and built a community here from scratch, bringing people together in new and positive ways. And as now-global citizens, we've expanded our love for the world and its people, letting go of fear with the knowledge, we're all in this together. And we've got to do better together.
This year has been a year of growth and change and challenge and love and...gratitude. Always, I return to that word, that feeling. I am grateful. I am so grateful for New Zealand, for this opportunity. For my adventure-seeking husband and my sometimes-pesky kids. For my noble steed who never turns down a walk. For those of you who have followed along and supported us from afar. I am grateful for this new life we lead and the year we've had.
And though we're settling in and the kids aren't always as excited to explore their city or go on another long hike. Though Shane's sometimes more focused on finding a good parking spot than the beauty of the city all around him. Though our story has changed since this time last year, and we're not as Newly Zealand as we once were, I still believe we're writing some of the most important chapters of our lives.
So here's to Year 2 and the next installment. I can't wait to see where this year's storyline takes us :)
